Stay Classy, World

The Pope announced the closest thing to a pro-gay stance yet seen from the Vatican last Monday, while flying back from World Youth Day celebrations in Brazil. “If someone is gay… who am I to judge?” said Pope Francis, who is apparently still happy to judge divorcees and female priests.

Bradley Manning, the American soldier charged with leaking classified data to Wikileaks, was acquitted of his most serious charge, aiding the enemy. Still, a military court held last week found the first-class private was anything but private and found him guilty of espionage, with a maximum sentence of 136 years.

Talks between Israel and Palestine are to take place in Washington, after US Secretary of State John Kerry brokered a deal. The talks will take around nine months, with all parties bar Israel hoping a Palestinian state will be born by the end.

A robbery in Cannes has proved to be a real gem, with the value of the haul of precious stones revised to be worth over NZ$171 million, showing the armed robbers definitely had the stones to pull it off.

A local aunt has told her nephew he’s “grown a lot” since she last saw him. Sources said the nephew smiled politely, and mentally reinforced his decision not to go to any more family things.

Editor's Pick

J Avia: Where are you from? My list was always ready: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, puppy dogs’ tails, a little Spanish, maybe German, and—almost as an afterthought—half Samoan. An unwanted fraction. But you don’t seem like a Samoan. I thought you were [inser

The student magazine of Victoria University of Wellington. Salient is available on campus free each Monday during term. Funded in part by Victoria University of Wellington students, through the Student Services Levy.